New year new me. Starting the year with loads of bullshit! 😂

The year of pretending ended with 2020 and with the new decade, we are about to get real 😂

To cut it short, this year is the birthday I spend with the least amount of people around me. Yes. Quarantine and a lockdown in Beirut. I am not mad. I actually had a relaxing breakfast and coffee followed by my tradition of baking a birthday cake for myself.

Years ago, I would invite friends over and I would cook us a meal and share a fun night. This year, I am happy being on my own and doing things at my own pace. I removed the Facebook birthday reminder to avoid the “HB❤️” posts on my wall from people who do it just because they had a notification. I am only sharing that it’s my birthday with and after this post.

So there you go, friends. Make this recipe and let’s virtually celebrate!

If you understand Arabic, here is a video of me making the recipe.
If you don’t understand Arabic, you can still enjoy the video and see me in action, speaking and cooking and smiling

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKH3EqrgaDh/

Apple & Molasses Cake

Ingredients

• 3 – 4 apples
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup molasses + 1.5 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 tbsp tahini + more for swirling
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vinegar

• 1 cup milk
• 1.5 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp labneh
• pinch of cinnamon

Procedure

• Peel and grate or cube the apples and place in a bowl
• Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, tahini, and baking soda.
• Measure the oil first is the measuring cup to prevent the molasses from sticking to the cup then add to the bowl. Measure the molasses and add warm water and mix until dissolved and the mix is no longer hot
• Add the molasses mix and mix well to incorporate
• Add the vinegar and mix well
• Line a cake pan with baking paper and pour the mix into it and add more tahini and swirl it
• Bake in a 180ºc pre-heated oven for 40 minutes or until set but not too dry

• For the cream filling, mix the milk and cornflour in a pot until dissolved. Add the molasses and mix while heating. The mix should thicken. Once thick, remove from the heat and let it cool completely before adding the labneh to give it a creamier consistency. Cool in the fridge while the cake cools
• Cut the cake in half lengthwise and fill with the cream. Bring it back together and serve